Improved snap-hook



1%.1-3. A.. GQRTON.

SNAP' HOOK.

No 42,366. Patented Apr. 19, 1864.

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B. E. GORTON AND A. GORTON, OF FRANKLINTON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED vSNAP-Home Speeifeation't'orming part of Letters Patent No. L$23643, dated April 19, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known't-hat we, R. E. GORTON and A. GORTON, both of Franklinton, in the county of Schoharieand State of New York, have invented a new and improved snap-hook and fastening for harness-traces to secure or attach the latter to whifiletrees and also to the harness; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact deseription ofthe saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,.making a. part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of our invention applied to a harness; Fig. 2, an enlarged longi` 4 tudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, an inner side view of one of the staples which are attached to the breeching for the snap-hooks toA catch into when the latter are not attached to the whiflletree; Fig. 4, an outer side or face Vview of lig. 3.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several ligures.

This invention relates to a new and improved snaphook or fastening for attaching traces to whittletrees.

To enable those skilled'in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, 'we \v.ll proceed to describe it.V

A represents a hook, the main portion a'of which is of semicircnlar form.. the other por tion, b, being the shank, which is provided with an eye or loop, c, into which the' end of' the traceis secured.

B represents a snap, one end of which is secured by a pivot, d, in a socket, e, adjoining the loop c, said socket having a spiral spring, f, within it, which bears against the snap, and has a tendency to keep the free end of the snap inl contact with the end of the hoop a., as will be clearly understood by referring t0 Fig.' 2.

The free or disengaged end of the snap B has an opening or eye, g, inpand extending' entirely through it, and said opening or eye, when the snap is closed, receives a projection,

h, at the end of the hook a, as vshownlin Fig- 2. By this arrangement the snap B is pre. vented from being moved lateraUl-y and from being bent, injured, or strained, it' pressed in a lateral direction;

On each end ofthe vwhifiletree there is secured an eye, c, and into these eyes the snaphooks A are fastened by" pressingl inward the sna s B, as shown in red in Fig. 2.

T e snap-hooks may be constructed of malleable cast iron or of wrought-iron.

D lrepresentsa circular plate which has a square opening, i, with a bar, j, extending across its center, and at the front side of said plate there is a staple, k, which projects out- Wald. sufficiently to admit of the snap-hook being tted in it. There are two of these plates D, and they are litted on the breeching,

one at each side, the back breeching-straps passing through the openings i and around the cross-barsj..

When the harness is on the horse and the latterl not attached to a vehicle, the snaphooks A are fitted in the sta-ples la of said plates and the traces are thereby held up R. E. GoR'roN. A. controls.

'Witnesses CALVIN RUSSELL, ELMORE SITZER. 

